Expandable and flexible shirt collar stand and shirt with same

Abstract

A shirt has a collar stand attached to a collar and to a shirt body, wherein the collar stand is formed from a fabric having stretch and recovery in at least two directions thereof, with the collar stand starting as a rigid or a stretch fabric, and wherein the collar stand is attached to a substantially rigid portion of said collar.

I claim: 
     
       1. A shirt comprising:
 a collar stand attached to a collar and to a shirt body, 
 wherein said collar stand is formed from a self-fabric, the collar stand having stretch and recovery in at least two non-laterally-opposing directions thereof, wherein said collar stand comprises an inner piece and an outer piece, and wherein the inner piece and the outer piece are each formed from said self-fabric fused with a two-way fusible substrate, and 
 wherein said collar stand is attached to a substantially rigid portion of said collar. 
 
     
     
       2. The shirt of  claim 1  wherein the collar is substantially rigid. 
     
     
       3. The shirt of  claim 1  wherein less than the entire collar is substantially rigid. 
     
     
       4. The shirt of  claim 1  wherein the outer piece has substantially the same shape and size as the inner piece. 
     
     
       5. The shirt of  claim 4  wherein at least some of said substantially rigid portion of said collar is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand. 
     
     
       6. The shirt of  claim 5  wherein said portion of said collar that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 1 ) between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch along a length thereof. 
     
     
       7. The shirt of  claim 5  wherein a portion of said shirt body is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand. 
     
     
       8. The shirt of  claim 6  wherein a portion of said shirt body is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand. 
     
     
       9. The shirt of  claim 4  wherein a portion of said shirt body is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand. 
     
     
       10. The shirt of  claim 9  wherein said portion of said shirt body that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 2 ) between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch along a length thereof. 
     
     
       11. The shirt of  claim 4  wherein at least some of said substantially rigid portion of said collar is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and
 wherein a portion of said shirt body is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and 
 wherein said portion of said collar that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 1 ) between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch; and 
 wherein said portion of said shirt body that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 2 ) between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch. 
 
     
     
       12. The shirt of  claim 11  wherein said collar stand has a width (W), and wherein W 1 +W 2  is between about 5% and 50% of the width (W) of the collar stand. 
     
     
       13. The shirt of  claim 12  wherein W 1 +W 2  is between about 20% and 40% of the width (W) of the collar stand. 
     
     
       14. The shirt of  claim 4  wherein at least some of said substantially rigid portion of said collar is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and
 wherein a portion of said shirt body is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and 
 wherein said portion of said collar that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 1 ); and 
 wherein said portion of said shirt body that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 2 ); and 
 wherein said collar stand has a width (W), and wherein W 1 +W 2  is between about 5% and 50% of the width (W) of the collar stand. 
 
     
     
       15. The shirt of  claim 14  wherein W 1 +W 2  is between 20% and 40% of the width (W) of the collar stand. 
     
     
       16. The shirt of  claim 1  wherein the self-fabric is cut on a bias thereof. 
     
     
       17. The shirt of  claim 1  wherein the two-way fusible substrate provides greater stretch in one of said two non-laterally-opposing directions. 
     
     
       18. The shirt of  claim 1  wherein said at least two non-laterally-opposing directions comprise two directions that are vertical to each other. 
     
     
       19. The shirt of  claim 1  wherein the self-fabric is selected from: a shirting fabric, cotton, poly-cotton, and linen. 
     
     
       20. The shirt of  claim 19  wherein the shirt comprises a shirt fabric selected from: a shirting fabric, cotton, poly-cotton, and linen. 
     
     
       21. The shirt of  claim 20  wherein the self-fabric is the same fabric as the shirt fabric. 
     
     
       22. In combination, a collar stand attached to a collar,
 wherein said collar stand is formed from a self-fabric, said collar stand having stretch and recovery in at least two distinct and non-laterally-opposing directions thereof, and 
 wherein said collar stand is attached to a substantially rigid portion of said collar, 
 wherein the collar stand comprises an inner piece and an outer piece, and 
 wherein at least one of said inner piece and said outer piece is formed using said self-fabric fused with a two-way fusible substrate that provides and controls stretch and recovery in said two distinct and non-laterally-opposing directions, and wherein the fusible substrate provides greater stretch in one of said two distinct and non-laterally-opposing directions. 
 
     
     
       23. A shirt comprising:
 a collar stand attached to a collar and to a shirt body, 
 wherein said collar stand is formed from a self-fabric, said collar stand having stretch and recovery in at least two non-laterally-opposing directions thereof, and 
 wherein said collar stand is attached to a substantially rigid portion of said collar, and 
 wherein the collar stand comprises an inner piece and an outer piece having substantially the same shape and size as the inner piece, and wherein the inner piece and the outer piece are each formed from said self-fabric, wherein at least one of said inner piece and said outer piece is formed using said self-fabric fused with a two-way fusible substrate, and wherein said self-fabric is selected from: cotton, poly-cotton, and linen, and 
 wherein at least some of said substantially rigid portion of said collar is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and 
 wherein a portion of said shirt body is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece of said collar stand along a length dimension of said collar stand, and 
 wherein said portion of said collar that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 1 ); and 
 wherein said portion of said shirt body that is sewn between said inner piece and said outer piece has a width (W 2 ), and 
 wherein said collar stand has a width (W), and wherein W 1 +W 2  is between about 5% and 50% of the width (W) of the collar stand. 
 
     
     
       24. The shirt of  claim 23  wherein W 1 +W 2  is between about 20% and 40% of the width (W) of the collar stand. 
     
     
       25. The shirt of  claim 23  wherein W 1  is between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch. 
     
     
       26. The shirt of  claim 23  wherein W 2  is between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch. 
     
     
       27. The shirt of  claim 23  wherein the collar is substantially rigid. 
     
     
       28. The shirt of  claim 23  wherein less than the entire collar is substantially rigid. 
     
     
       29. The shirt of  claim 23  wherein the self-fabric is cut on a bias thereof. 
     
     
       30. The shirt of  claim 23  wherein said stretch and recovery in one of said non-laterally-opposing directions is around substantially the entire collar stand when said collar stand is attached to said shirt body.